Libya: EU officials hope Trump will pull support for Haftar

President has backed warlord, seen by UK and UN as aggressor in Libya conflict

European officials are hoping Donald Trump’s surprise expression of support for the Libyan warlord Khalifa Haftar can be reversed amid division in Washington over US policy on the north African country.

A clarification of US policy is considered necessary in order to build an international consensus condemning the attack on Tripoli in which 300 people have been killed and more than 1,000 injured – including migrants trapped in detention centres – since it began this month.